random thoughts – Day 1,495 – (Saturday) – dance day

Waking to the sound of pouring rain, yet again, was depressing. The disheartened feeling was amplified by it being the day of the Earth Day Festival in Townsend. Troupe Salaamati was scheduled to dance outdoors at 11:30. The rain was forecast to stop around 10:00.

Preparations began inside, while the rain fell and blew outside. Coffee, but not too much, because makeup needed to be done. The regular day makeup is usually some light eye shadow, pencil liner, and mascara, but stage makeup requires a heavier hand.

There would be a full face – foundation, blush, eye shadow, liquid eyeliner, lipstick. It looked chalky and felt garish, but the intent is to define the features from a distance. I prefer sunny days when I can wear sunglasses to hide all the stage eye shadow on the drive to a performance gig, but today was not one of those days. 

When the weather forecasters are on, they are really on it. At 10:00, I was in the parking lot across the street from the festival, having arrived a half-hour before our scheduled meeting time. It was no longer raining, but it was cloudy and a bit raw.

Waiting in the chill.

The ten of us gathered in a parking lot. There were two full-length mirrors leaned against two dancers’ cars. We layered our skirts, hip belts, and veils. The weather called for leggings under my skirt. We had on our coats as we crossed the street to the festival.

The wet grass prompted us to reconfigure our entrance. Instead of entering from the grassy side, we entered and exited from the side with the concrete walk. It took just one quick walkthrough and we were set. Our slot was between the cheerleading group and the magician.

Lovely, but gets hot in the sun.

As we waited for our time, the sun broke through the clouds. Bright. Squinty. Wonderful. In our faces. It definitely beat rain. While we stood there, finally warm enough to take off my coat, a discovery was made. The sun, rather quickly, heated up the big metal necklace I was wearing, which I noticed when my skin under it began to feel hot. Ouch. Apparently, it’s a cloudy day piece. Or maybe I need a turtleneck for under my dance tops.

The show was good and in 24 minutes, we had danced five pieces, and then we were done. A couple attendees asked for photos with us before we headed around the corner of the building to a more secluded spot for some group photos. Friends and family members captured us in pixels before we scattered our separate ways. 

I wandered the festival for a few minutes, scoping out the vendors. Honey, jewelry, upcycled clothing, décor, and more. I didn’t have much time, as I had a lunch date with my sister across the street at Bailey’s.

The dining room at Bailey’s had a wait, so we took a table in the bar. It was a tall table with tall cushioned booth seating. At some point, we heard a thud. My small purse had tipped over, and the noise was that of my wallet, phone, and keys hitting the floor in the gap between the wall and the seat I was parked upon. Oops. It required crawling under the table to fetch the items. I have to wonder how many times that has happened.

Back at home, I was wiped out. After an hour, I was napping on the couch. When I woke up, I realized the fitness watch seems to track sleep only during set nighttime hours. It certainly couldn’t tell I was sleeping for a chunk of time between 4:00 and 6:00. Hmmmm.